A Quest To Find The Best Loukoumades in Athens

Loukoumades are an essential Greek treat that anyone visiting Athens should try. Sometimes called Greek Donuts, these deep-fried balls of goodness – traditionally soaked in honey – date back a couple thousand years to Ancient Greece. During those times, they were referred to as “honey tokens” and were awarded to victorious Olympic athletes. Nowadays, you don’t need to win a marathon to enjoy this classic Greek treat. You can easily find them at dessert shops and restaurants throughout the city. But who wins the contest for serving up the best loukoumades in Athens? During our recent stay in Greece’s capital, I went on a quest to find out.

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My History with Food Quests

I love a food quest. Because we are slow travelers, I get to dig deep into the local cuisine of each destination we visit. And often, if there is a quintessential food favorite, I will set out to find the very best version. Of course I realize that “The Best” is a very subjective determinaton. And there is no way that I can come close to trying every version available. But I do give it my best shot.

Consequently, I’ve previously quested for the best Piri-Piri Chicken in Lisbon, the best Churros & Chocolate in Madrid, & and best Tacos in Merida Mexico.

My quests usually involve trying offerings from the 2 or 3 establishments typically mentioned as “The Best” via internet search (other bloggers, food writers, local guides). And also from searching Google Maps for highly-rated options that might not always be mentioned in those internet compilations. In fact, on all three of my previous Quests, I found my winner via Google Maps.

For this particular quest to find the best loukoumades in Athens, I visited the two oldest & most famous loukoumades shops in town, the city’s most popular loukoumades franchise, and a lesser-known loukoumades shop with a straight-up 5.0 Google rating.

But First, What Exactly Are Loukoumades?

Loukoumades are quite simple….round balls of dough which are then fried in oil. When you eat loukoumades, you’ll find that their outside is crispier than the typical American donut. But despite this crisp exterior, the inside is soft and chewy.

The most traditional way of eating loukoumades is with honey and cinnamon. But as I discovered on this quest to find the best loukoumades in Athens, they can also be served with a variety of toppings depending on the establishment.

This type of treat is not exclusive to Greece. You can find something very similar in Turkey and many Middle Eastern countries. In those places, these balls of fried dough – which can be soaked in either honey or a sugar syrup – are called Lokma.

Now on to The Quest….

Stop #1 – Krinos

Krinos is perhaps the most famous loukoumades shop in Athens. And so it seemed natural that Krinos should be the starting spot for my quest to find the best loukoumades in Athens. It’s located in central Athens. But it’s a little bit outside of the main touristic center, adjacent to the city’s large Varvakios Central Municipal Market.

Krinos was founded in 1923 and occupies a large space that was once Athens’ first pharmacy. It’s the oldest loukoumades shop founded in Athens – a distinction that certainly contributes to its fame. Over 100 years making loukoumades!

Inside, you’ll find lots of tables where you can sit and enjoy your loukoumades along with a coffee. But they also have a take-out window which seemed much busier at the time of my visit.

You may notice in the photo above that the loukoumades at Krinos look a little different. They aren’t the typical round balls. Instead, they are shaped more similarly to an American donut – a flat disc with hole in the middle.

I grabbed mine to go, and immediately sat on a nearby bench to eat them while warm. The server asked me if I wanted honey and cinnamon, and of course I did. These seemed to be the only toppings offered at the time of my visit, though I’ve since read that crushed walnuts may be an option at Krinos too.

I will admit that I was a little skeptical before my first bite. I thought these loukoumades might be mediocre and soggy since they’d been sitting under a heat lamp (all other loukoumades on this Quest were cooked fresh).

However, I was quite happy with these loukoumades from Krinos. They were very crispy on the outside and wonderfully chewy on the inside. In fact, they were quite reminiscent of the very best churros I ate in Madrid from a place called Churreria Santa Ana (also eaten on a park bench). And this makes perfect sense given that loukoumades and churros are made quite similarly.

So far then, my Quest was off to a great start!

(Total price for a box of Loukoumades with Honey & Cinnamon at Krinos – 3.80 Euros. The least expensive of the Quest.)

Stop #2 – Loukoumadaki

I discovered Loukoumadaki while perusing Google Maps for highly-rated loukoumades shops. And with a 5.0 Google rating, it’s the highest-rated place to eat loukoumades in central Athens. And that’s a 5.0 rating with 850 reviews…pretty impressive. With that amount of love, I could not ignore Loukoumadaki as potential winner for best loukoumades in Athens. I had to try it!

Loukoumadaki is a small shop with a few outdoor tables located in Athens’ popular Psiri neighborhood – famous for its maze-like streets teeming with bars, restaurants, and street art. Loukoumadaki had a steady stream of customers at the time of my visit. And they did make my loukoumades fresh.

While they did have a variety of toppings to choose from including different types of chocolate, nuts, and jams, I chose to stick with their “classic” honey and cinnamon. I wanted to keep things on an even playing field on this quest to find the best loukoumades in Athens. My rule was “same topping every stop.”

But honestly, these loukoumades were just OK. In fact, they were my least favorite of the quest. I think the shop’s 5.0 rating has a lot to do with the friendliness of the owner and his great customer service.

The exteriors weren’t really very crispy and the centers were fairly cakey. Not the spongy inside goodness that I enjoyed at Krinos. Much closer to the donut holes I’ve eaten at home in the US.

But the honey at Loukoumadaki was spectacular! Best of the Quest! And from what I later read, they produce their own honey, which probably explains it. In fact, if you pay close attention to their outdoor seating, the “tables” are stacks of beekeeper boxes.

But alas, this isn’t a Quest for the best honey in Athens. Otherwise, I’m sure Loukoumadaki would be in the running.

(Total price for a box of Loukoumades with Honey & Cinnamon at Loukoumadaki – 5 Euros.)

Stop #3 – Ktistakis

Loukoumades Ktistakis is located slightly further off the tourist track than Krinos – my first stop. It’s located just around the corner from one of modern Athens’ most important city squares called Omonoia Square. Consequently, you will need to make your way a little further from the Acropolis to sample these loukoumades. But it’s worth it! Anyone’s quest to find the best loukoumades in Athens must include Ktistakis.

The interior of Loukoumades Ktistakis definitely has an old school cafe vibe, and I did sit for table service during my visit. My loukoumades were made to order and presented to me on a platter. Instead of honey, Ktistakis uses a sugar syrup along with cinnamon and sesame seeds. They don’t offer any other topping choices.

Like Krinos, Ktistakis has been serving up loukoumades for over 100 years. In fact, Loukoumades Ktistakis is actually older than Krinos. It was established in 1912. But not in Athens. The original store was established in Chania Crete. A few decades later, the owners moved to its current Athens location. The current owner & loukoumades maker is the founder’s grandson.

And these loukoumades were amazing! I knew immediately that I’d found the best loukoumades in Athens. A crispy exterior and a surprising interior. Each ball was filled with the same sugary syrup that coated the outside. Not only did this enhance the flavor of each golden nugget, but it created a unique spongy texture as well. Each bite was a burst of greatness.

I asked the owner how he accomplishes this greatness. His name is Theodore Ktistakis and he was quite happy to share his craft with me. It became clear that he is very passionate loukoumades craftsman.

He still follows his grandfather’s original recipe which actually originated in Alexandria Egypt. He told me that although it’s a simple recipe, it’s difficult to execute perfectly. In fact, he spends 7 hours each night preparing the dough for the next day. If it doesn’t seem right, he will throw it out and start over. And he always keeps a little from the previous batch to start each new batch – like a sourdough starter. While there is no actual fermentation involved, he feels that “the good DNA” of the “mother batch” will carry over to the next.

Is it any wonder that these are the best loukoumades in Athens?

Oh, and it’s chemistry that puts the syrup inside the loukoumades – not any sort of direct injection. After he fries them in oil, he transfers them directly to a pot of cold syrup. Something about the temperature difference moves some of the syrup inside.

As Theodore turned his attention to a newly arrived customer, I walked out of Loukoumades Ktistakis quite satisfied and very confident that I’d already reached the pinnacle of my Quest.

(Total price for a serving of Loukoumades with Syrup & Cinnamon at Ktistakis – 3.90 Euros for takeaway and 4.60 Euros for dine in.)

Stop #4 – LUKUMAΔΕΣ

But for the sake of Quest completeness, I felt that I did need to make one final stop. At a very popular loukoumades franchise called LUKUMAΔΕΣ (which is how Loukoumades is spelled in the Greek language). After all, we did have a local tour guide tell us that this place received her vote for best loukoumades in Athens (though she’d never been to Ktistaskis.)

LUKUMAΔΕΣ has a handful of shops throughout Athens. And conveniently, one of these is located just off the busiest tourist street in Athens called Ermou. And every time I passed by, the shop seemed really busy.

In addition to this central location, another reason for LUKUMAΔΕΣ’s popularity is certainly due to the variety of ways they serve their loukoumades. Similar to my second stop on this Quest (Loukoumadaki), they offer lots of different toppings options. Plus, you can opt to have your loukoumades filled with various kinds of creams and soft cheeses (piped in after cooking). And you can even have them served with ice cream.

But in keeping with the rules of my quest, I stuck with the classic honey and cinnamon during my first visit. They were cooked fresh for me, but I did have to wait about 10 minutes since there were several other orders ahead of me.

And I will have to admit, once I collected my order and took that first bite, I was a bit surprised. Because it’s a franchise in a touristy location, I didn’t have the highest of expectations. Especially after experiencing the loving craftsmanship of Ktistaskis the day before. But they were actually quite good.

Crisp exterior, soft and airy interior. They aren’t the winner of this quest for the best loukoumades in Athens. But if the convenient location provides your only chance to try loukoumades in Athens, you won’t go wrong at LUKUMAΔΕΣ.

In fact, I did return here once more. I figured that I did need to try some dressed-up loukoumades at least once. And so I ordered a batch with white chocolate and pistachios. And they were delicious!

The white chocolate topping was much lighter than I expected. It didn’t overwhelm the loukoumades at all, and they actually remained surprisingly crisp. This was a delightful way to end my quest!

(Total Price with Honey & Cinnamon – 4.60 Euros. And with White Chocolate & Pistachios – 5.40 Euros.)

Final Thoughts

So where did I find the best loukoumades in Athens? My favorites were clearly at Ktistaskis – the love, the craftsmanship, the textures, the flavor were all top notch.

But I also don’t think you can go wrong eating loukoumades at Krinos. Or one of the creations at LUKUMAΔΕΣ. I enjoyed my loukoumades at both those places very much.

And if you have enough time during your stay in this great city, then maybe you should consider giving all three a try. You won’t be disappointed!

If you would like some more advice about eating and traveling in Greece, then be sure to check out these posts:

How Many Days in Athens Are Best For The Perfect Stay

Eating at Ntounias: A One-of-A-Kind Food Experience in Crete

Greek Island Hopping on the Blue Star Ferry

A 2 Day Trip to Meteora From Athens